I’M THE ***OFFICIAL*** HARD-BITTEN, CYNICAL, OVER-WORDLY, OVER-SOPHISTICATEDPESSIMIST of the Hewitt Salem Radio Irregulars<G>…..

TODAY HUGH were stepping on MY TURF….

If i recall, i emailed you right after Gates was floated up, and rightbefore you had Hitch on your show (Gee, i’ll NEVER understand why’d theychose Will Smith to play him in the movie?)…

Hugh glancingly referred on-air to my Gates’ email, when Hitch deliveredpretty much the same, rather cynical and low estimation of the Gates’nomination, as you and i had emailed on earlier that day…FOR THE RECORD;you will further note that i emailed Hugh, several weeks ago, with theAmazon reference of the White Paper that Gates wrote with Zbieg, though itwas nice to hear Michael Ledeen reference it on the show today…PrettyDismal Reading

LET ME OFFER THESE WORDS OF CHEER:My Proposition: Let It Be Determined Thus;

1. The Principal Media Strategy of this Administration is “Rope-A-Dope”

2. Lil Dubya’ has a clean and concise vision of the Strategic War on TerrorAND a Very Conservative view of Presidential Power, especially on thesubject of National Defense and warfighting.

3. Unless the 4-stars on JCS are willing to ***PUBLICLY*** punt their Iraqiefforts, which would be disastrous in ways-too-numerous-to mention withinthe ranks, short of being chased out of the Middle East by massive militaryforce, ala’ the Invasion of South Vietnam, the JCS have to pretty much goalong with a Iraqi Victory Strategy, AS LONG AS POTUS ***DESIRES*** IT.

4. Sec Gates will be working for GW, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:BEST CASE SCENARIO: SecDef Gates is a GW “head fake”, GW knew that a careerLangley Analysis Drone (“6 Decades of Getting It Wrong, and Still Going!”),like Gates would be jovially embraced the Senate (just as he was today), intheir eagerness to shove RummyD out of the Building…

Gates ends up being sandwiched between the JCS and CentCommand 4-stars, whowon’t want to give up UNLESS THE PRESIDENT tells them to, and GW, who willrefer back to the Pentagon as the determining strategic entity…

BACK AND FORTH IT GOES, WITH GATES STUCK IN THE MIDDLE, and unable toadvance a cut and run strategy without any substantial support from theuniformed commanders, leaving the Realpolitik bunch without any cover foran, as it was referred a long time ago, in a Bad Place far, far away,“Operation Bugout” …